Lew Perkins

Monday, January 7, 2013

This
Jill Martin Wrenn article appeared in the online edition of CNN. It explores how some famous athletes have been dealing
with retirement.

Retirement terrifies sports stars. The end of a glittering career can
feel like falling off a cliff to an athlete who thrives on fame and
fortune. And the longer the career, the harder the end game seems to be.

For living legends, it's
especially tough to know how to quit. World heavyweight champion Evander
Holyfield turned 50 this year -- but he still wants to box
professionally.

"I'm not retired," he says. "If I can get a championship fight, I will."

He won't fight just
anyone, though -- only top boxers. Because he holds five heavyweight
titles, he tells CNN that young boxers could want to challenge him just
because they have something to prove.

Holyfield can still draw a
crowd, nearly 30 years after his professional debut. During a recent
visit to CNN Center in Atlanta, fans swarmed him, taking pictures and
shaking his hand.

"I keep myself right at
the (professional) level, in case somebody feels froggy and says, 'I
think I'm going to whup the old man,'" he says. "And they'd be shocked."

He says he trains every
day, so that he always feels ready to fight at the top level. But
Holyfield also faces a fight outside the ring: He lost his Atlanta-area
mansion to foreclosure in 2012.

So he understands the
perils of quickly rising from modest means to riches -- then back again.
He is trying to get his financial house in order. He recently took a
sales role with Primerica, a financial services company. Holyfield sees
it as an opportunity to teach others how to manage money.

"When I was 21 years
old, I was a millionaire," he says. "You're talking about a guy making
$8,000 a year, working 40 hours a week, made the Olympic team, went to
the Olympics, two weeks later -- a millionaire."

When Holyfield signed
his first million-dollar contract three decades ago, he had been working
three jobs that together earned him less than $10,000.

"It was just all of a sudden," he says. "I came into boxing, I made big money."

But getting used to big
swings in the bank account isn't the only challenge celebrity athletes
such as Holyfield face. They also have to learn how to live without the
constant cheer of the crowds once they're out of the spotlight.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 65,
was one of the world's most famous basketball players. He remains the
record all-time scorer in the National Basketball Association. He still
has to duck to get his 7-foot, 2-inch frame through most doorways.

But when he retired as a player in 1989, after 20 years of professional play, he was at a loss.

He told CNN: "The first
training camp that I missed, I was like, 'Jeez, what am I going to do
now?'" He quotes another sports legend -- Jackie Robinson -- to describe
how he felt when he retired.

"He said that athletes die twice," Abdul-Jabbar said. "You know, when that first career is gone, that's a death."

That adjustment was
harder for Abdul-Jabbar to process than his cancer diagnosis in 2008. He
has chronic myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer that he manages with drug
therapy.

"I think that
(retirement) was the more difficult adjustment because you don't know
what to do," he said. "I'd had this incredible career." But when he
started to cultivate his talents off the court, he discovered a new
calling. Now, he says, he wants to be known for his writing -- not just
his basketball prowess.

"I always tell people I
can stuff a basketball into a hoop, but I also have a mind," he said. He
has written seven books, including one for children, that focus on
contributions from African-Americans to U.S. culture. Inspiring young
people to pursue paths in science, math, engineering and other
disciplines beyond professional sports is a passion. Because of his
reputation as a famous athlete, his advice resonates with young
fans."It's really important that young people get ... that there's more
to their life than sports and entertainment," he said.

Abdul-Jabbar also works
as a paid spokesman for Novartis Pharmaceuticals, which makes Tasigna,
the drug therapy he takes to manage his CML. He says this role exposes
him to a new fan base.

"People come up to me
now and start talking to me about someone in their family, or a friend,
or a loved one that has some type of leukemia." He said the experience
has opened up a new world to him.

Sports psychologist Jack
Llewellyn says that very few professional athletes want to think about
coming to the end of their careers while they're still playing. "As a
consequence, very few of them are prepared for that next chapter."

Finding a passion off
the court while she was still playing in major tournaments helped
Martina Navratilova. The tennis superstar, now 55, played professionally
well into her 40s. She said that after retiring, "you become irrelevant
really quickly."

But because she never defined herself solely through tennis, she was able to accept the transition.

"My sense of self-worth did not depend on winning matches," she said.

Navratilova still is
committed to keeping fit: she runs with her dogs, skis, cycles and plays
hockey. "And of course, I play tennis."

Navratilova serves as
fitness ambassador for AARP, which she says she loves. And she wrote
"Shape Your Self: My 6-Step Diet and Fitness Plan to Achieve the Best
Shape of Your Life."

Her advice to other athletes, professional and amateur? Play a new game when you get older.

"Find another sport that
you can really improve at, that you can get excited about, and have
fun," she said. Athletes can still satisfy their competitive drive,
without comparing their current game to how they used to perform when
they were younger.

Like Navratilova, Kevin
Willis played professionally much longer than most others in his sport.
His career with the NBA stretched into his 40s. But he still didn't want
to retire.

"If it wasn't for the
simple fact that I'm older, I would (still) be playing," he said. He
finally stopped because he says he didn't want to wear out his welcome.

Willis spent half of his
prolific career playing for the Atlanta Hawks. The president of the
team, Bob Williams, acknowledged that most NBA athletes don't want their
playing days to end.

"It's hard to give up
the adrenaline rush," he said. He noted that Willis is exceptional in
carefully orchestrating his next step after the NBA, and other players
could follow suit.

"He's leading by example," Williams said.

Willis already had a
post-NBA pursuit lined up when he stopped playing for good five years
ago. He started a clothing brand, Willis and Walker, back in 1988. It
caters to men who are 6-foot-3 inches and taller, a demographic the
7-footer understands very well.

Speaking from his
boutique in Atlanta, he told CNN: "The relationships that I built over
those 21 years from basketball, I tapped into ... to help me build
this." His clients include former and present professional athletes.

Having two decades worth
of NBA earnings helps Willis to finance the endeavor. He says he has
poured more than $1 million of his own money into the brand.

Willis turned 50 this
year, but he can still carry his weight -- and then some. He says he can
still bench press 315 pounds, just as he did when he played
professionally. But now, instead of lifting one set of that weight, he
completes five sets of five or six repetitions.

"And how did that happen?" he said. "I don't know, man. It's just in the genetics, I guess."

Without the rigors of the NBA game schedule, Willis has more time to train -- and to reflect on his recent milestone birthday.

"That's a lot of life,"
he said of turning 50. "And I'm always thankful for a lot of stuff, but
when you reach that milestone, it's like: 'Wow!'"

Olympic heroine Jessica Ennis believes young girls are being put off sport because of fears they may become too muscular.

Ennis, who has been shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, warned that some talented young girls are wary of training because of the impact it may have on their figure.

The gold-winning heptathlete told the Radio Times, "It's important that girls aren't afraid of sport. I remember when I first started doing weight training, I didn't want to be any good at it because I didn't want to be all muscly".

"My coach sat me down and said that if I had more muscles than the average woman, but won an Olympic gold medal, it would be worth it", she told the magazine. "He was right, but it's hard when you're younger and want to look like everyone else".

The London 2012 poster girl also called for more attention to be paid to top-level women's sports.

"We need more coverage of women's sport and we need to get women involved in coaching and administration", she added.

Yesterday Ennis was revealed as one of five women on the 12-strong shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

Last year there was criticism that the judges failed to recognise achievements of women at all.

Brown, 72, the only coach to win both an NBA championship and NCAA title, hadn't coached since leaving theCharlotte Bobcatsin December 2010. This is his 14th job in a four-decade coaching career, but his first at the college level since leading Kansas to a national title in 1988. He also won an NBA title with theDetroit Pistonsin 2004.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

For young sports lovers, a career in sports management represents wide opportunities with many overall advantages. If the acclaim reached by executives like Lew Perkins isn’t enough of a motivator, the high salary and excellent health and wellness benefits certainly would. Being a sports manager is a great way to make money and establish rapport with fellow sports fans, but exactly where one wants to be placed would depend on a number of factors, among them is the direction of one’s own career plans.

One of the factors in selecting a career path in the sports industry is the expertise of the new sports manager. Sports management as a whole deals with the business processes of the sports industry, but the exact responsibilities would vary between the sectors one enters, which can be to an advantage depending on the aptitude of the applicant.

The level also matters. College sports offers many opportunities for recognition; Lew Perkins was the only one on Time Magazine’s Top 35 Sports Executives of 2008 from the collegiate level. In general, professional sports (both major and minor leagues) offer plenty of room for advancement.

Pay is another factor. Entry levels for collegiate jobs have salaries on average up to $25,000, while those in minor leagues usually pay lower. On the other hand, executive-level jobs in major-league professional sports bring in the largest sums of money.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

The Summer Olympics is over, but the sporting world is still abuzz, and this time, the spotlight is on the Paralympics. Sporting enthusiasts, like Lew Perkins, know that the Paralympic Summer Games is the second largest sporting event in the world. A remarkable feat since it was only in 1948 when Dr. Ludwig Guttmann advocated the creation of athletic games for people with disabilities. Dr. Guttmann believed that sports therapy can enhance the quality of life of people who were injured during World War II.

Today, the Paralympics is no longer just about rehabilitating people with disabilities. It is a celebration of how men and women can overcome physical deformities and excel just like able-bodied athletes -- it is about human strength and willpower.

For athletic directors, like Lew Perkins, young athletes can take inspiration from the strengths of the stars of this year’s Paralympics, for the stories of Paralympics athletes are tales of perseverance and faith in oneself.

One example is the story of sprint runner Oscar Pistorious. Born with fibular hemimelia, a bone disorder that led to his legs being amputated at age 11, Pistorious refused to be cowed. He fought hard to compete against non-disabled athletes, and won, when he was selected for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Another remarkable story is that of swimmer Natalie du Toit. Having lost a leg after being run over at age 17, she won 10 Paralympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008, and competed in the 2008 Olympics, the first amputee to do so.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” These Paralympics athletes sure know.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Among the many tasks addressed by sports executives like Lew Perkins is the keeping in line with the policies of sporting regulatory bodies. Complying with these regulations indicates that the team (and, in the case of collegiate athletics, their home school) intends to participate in the competition in a fair and just manner and holds itself to a high behavioral standard. Noncompliance with these regulations also leads to a number of sanctions from these regulatory bodies, such as suspension from further competition.

Athletics organizations like the NCAA have a number of regulations that need to be followed to ensure that the sports are played fairly. These include not only a rigorous enforcement of the rules of every game but also compliance to a number of other regulations, including behavioral ones.

Ensuring that a team complies with these rules falls on Lew Perkins and fellow sports executives. In his time as an athletic director for Wichita State University and the University of Kansas, he has swiftly dealt with noncompliance issues left behind by his predecessors. Through his efforts and those of others, these athletic programs managed to recover from their shambles and rise above them.

It falls upon an effective sports executive to ensure that the program complies with the regulations set by governing bodies to ensure both fair play and to maintain a positive view of the team as a model of sportsmanship.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

To those who are familiar with Lew Perkins, it will not come as a surprise that the famed athletic director is a staunch supporter of women’s athletics. During his stint as director of athletics at the University of Kansas, the women’s volleyball, soccer, and basketball teams excelled in their leagues.

In 1972, 37 words changed the world of women’s rights and athletics: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Those are the words of Title IX, a section of the Education Amendments signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972. And for Lew Perkins and other supporters of women’s athletics, those 37 words made a huge impact on collegiate sports.

Although the words “sports” or “athletics” were not part of the legendary 37, they have become closely associated with Title IX. Forty years after Title IX was signed into law, men and women athletes are enjoying almost the same privileges, benefits, and success. Almost, because many recognize there are still more work to be done. Take for instance the existence of only one U.S.-based pro league for women, the Women’s National Basketball Association or WNBA.

Lew Perkins is highly regarded nationally as an effective director of athletics, and a staunch supporter of women’s athletics.

Nevertheless, numbers don’t lie. Records show the number of girls playing high school sports jumped from 294,015 in 1971-72 to 3,172,637 in 2009-10, an increase of more than 1,000%. Meanwhile, the number of women playing sports in college rose from 29,972 in 1971-72 to 186,460 in 2009-10, a jump of more than 600%.

Those who support women’s athletics hope that it will not take another 40 years before they can see another breakthrough. After all, Billie Jean King already proved in 1973 that women know how to play sports: by beating a man in a televised tennis match watched by 50 million people.